Birmingham Schools Superintendent Craig Witherspoon met with the Birmingham Council of PTAs this morning, telling parents that city public schools can do anything that charter schools do and saying a pending legislative bill to shorten school calendars will disrupt schedules.

"We can do what charter schools do," Witherspoon told about two dozen parent-teacher association leaders. "Apples to apples, public schools do better."

The Alabama Senate voted Wednesday to approve charter schools in the state's four largest cities. If it became law, the bill would allow low-performing public schools to become charter schools.

Witherspoon said he traveled to Memphis late last year with some legislators, including House Speaker Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, to learn about charter schools.

"I got demonized for that," he said.

"I'm not a charter school advocate," Witherspoon said. "If it's going to happen, there has to be local control. I'm an educator. I want these young people to be successful, wherever it is. I'm all for different options for kids. If we have a low-performing school, we have to do something different. We've got to be willing to make some changes."

Birmingham's public schools have no choice but to try to educate every student who lives in the city, while charter schools can be restrictive about who is admitted and kick out low performers, he said. "We don't have that luxury," he said. "If you live in the city of Birmingham we have to take you."

The Alabama Legislature passed a bill last week to prohibit schools from starting before Aug. 20, and ending later than May 24.

"Our calendar starts Aug. 13," Witherspoon said. If that bill becomes law, schools would have to look at making breaks shorter or making days longer, he said.

It might help one problem schools have, he said. Only 50 percent of students attend class the first 10 days of the school year in Birmingham schools, Witherspoon said.

Starting later might help the lagging students show up on the first day, but "it creates other problems," he said.

Summer slide, the loss of educational gains due to lack of study over the summer, would worsen, Witherspoon said.

"It's a longer summer," he said. "If students aren't involved in some kind of learning opportunity, you lose."